The Vincent Zandri Vox: "You Can Write on the Side!"

The Vincent Zandri Vox: "You Can Write on the Side!"

Saw this and thought it was worth sharing - as a lesson of sorts.

I've been on the other side of this - writing 'on the side' never worked for me. I'm just not organized enough to send out stories or novels while juggling a 'real' job and all my home responsibilities.

Realistically taking care of the people in my life and working a job is really 2 full-time jobs. So adding writing (even as a part-time job) is out of the question.

This 'dog and pony show' takes up all my time.

Chicken's Can't Swim

I let the chickens free range today. It was too hot for the dogs to want out - so I let the baby birds roam. Of course there is a percentage of them who haven't figured out that the big huge doors on the barn are for.

Ever heard the saying "Dumb cluck" - can you guess where it came from?

I always take Mocha the Mutt out with me when it's time to round up chickens. She's got a beagle nose and no prey drive to speak of - unlike the Jack Russels who don't know when to stop.

We checked the peppermint patch for strays - and found a few. She spotted them and I carried them back to the pen. I went back for one more when I happened to shine the flashlight in the water trough.

Sure enough - I had a drowned chicken in there. I scooped up the body - and was amazed when the wings flapped a bit. Dumb Cluck had fallen in and but hadn't given up the ghost yet. I carried the weak critter into the barn - found the heat lamp and the big metal trough that I converted to a brooder when it rusted out.

I put the poor shivering bird under the light and watched it for a few minutes. It had bubbles coming out of it's beak - a bad sign. Also it was kinda laying on it's side - another bad sign.

I left it for about an hour - I just came in from checking on it. It still wasn't completely dry - but it was standing on it's feet and looking at me.

I can't assume that the bird is fine - it could still catch cold and die. So it will stay in the brooder all night. Chances are even for a good outcome, which is  greatly improved since I fished it out of the water.

I suppose it has learned that it's can't swim - but I won't count on it.

Chicken's aren't very bright.

Kindle Author Interview: Dan Holloway

Long time friend of Jordan's Croft - Dan Holloway has an interview on Kindle Author. Follow this link to read it.

Yea! Dan!

I want to acknowledge Dan and his contributions to my journey - back in the early Authonomy days there were several long and in depth conversations about self-publishing and ways to make it work.

Dan started Year Zero with some like-minded friends, others started DIIARTS publishing and Lorraine started a blog called "Author's on Show." I sat on the fence and blogged about their adventures, knowing that it might be a good idea for me as well.

Then that Joe Konrath guy came along - with some serious numbers.

Authonomy has changed - it isn't the incubator of creativity that it used to be. I see that Team Autho is working to clean out the riff-raff because the site is still a magnet for newbie writers wanting to get a break.

Still I recall those conversations and the comradary we shared very fondly. It is always good to see others growing in this ever-changing business.

Best Wishes!

Kindle Author: Kindle Author Interview: Dan Holloway: "Dan Holloway, author of The Company of Fellows , discusses his book, his journey as a writer, and self-publishing on Kindle. DAVID WISEHAR..."

Short Story - 'Impressive Bravado'

I just released a short story - to Amazon. It wouldn't go through Pubit! So I distributed it through Smashwords today. The story has been up as a freebie on Smashwords since May 17, 11.

I did this just to see what would happen. It has blurbs for 'Let's Do Lunch' and 'Swallow the Moon' so it has advertising benefits. The best part is that it was a hit - 200 hits in the first 2 days and 35 copies downloaded. To date there have been 80 copies downloaded.

A side benefit was I sold a copy of 'Let's Do Lunch' on Amazon. The first sale in 2 1/2 months was a surprise. It also proves that it doesn't pay to give up.

'Impressive Bravado' is a light-hearted and satirical look at the horse whisperer phenomena. There is a grain of truth in it - as I encountered a version of Aquitania while out and about. She stuck in my mind - as such a character would. I expect to see more of her and Dr. Katie McCarty DVM as time goes on.

Deputy Sheriff Shallamon calls Katie McCarty DMV for her opinion of horse mutilations. Someone is targeting local stallions for unauthorized neutering. Anyone with the bravado to sneak into a barn and perform these operations has to be crazy. Is it barn rivalry or something even more sinister? (Short Story - 7k words)

I have the story at $.99 to generate a few sales while I'm in the final stages before 'Swallow the Moon' goes to the editor. Real life has interfered with my writing until I feel like I'm starting all over again. This time I'm starting small and working up to the launch. 

 Watch this space for a guest post.

Me and My Nook - Changing the Way I View Books

I was writing a review about 'Water for Elephants' when I realized just how profoundly my attitude towards books has changed.

"Oddly enough - I'm glad that I bought an e-book not a DTB book. I wouldn't want to have the paper book around. I have too many books that I love - it doesn't seem right to have one I merely like. When I think about that statement, I understand just how profound an effect e-books have had on me. Not only am I buying more books - but it's changed the way I look at DTBs."

What a change for a former book hoarder. My attitude towards books had a profound shift - I'm even looking at shelf space differently.

 I'm buying and reading at least 1 or 2 books a month. I used to read more - but was gleaning them from thrift stores and flea markets. I don't do that anymore. As more backlist hits the internet I'll be reading some old favorites.

How can I put this into words?

I am mentally dividing books into categories - snack-like books - read once and not again. Good stuff for entertainment - like 'Water for Elephants' a good read but not a 'keeper.' The higher quality books that I want to have on the shelves. Which right now means non-fiction books on writing, gardening and food economics. There is my collection of Nora Roberts, Elizabeth Peters and Janet Evonovich some in hardback  because I couldn't wait for the next book.

So here I am - does this make me a reformed book hoarder?

No - but my library is now for reference purposes. I can buy non-fiction without feeling guilty about the number of books on my shelf. Anything that lets me buy more books without having to find shelf space for them is a GOOD thing!

Vacation Catch-up Blues

There is only 1 bad thing about going on vacation - catching up when you get back.

I'm sure we've had more than 40 days and 40 nights of rain. Everything is sodden - even the horse stalls. Especially the horse stalls!

The herd of brats has taken to checking their stalls to see the condition before they go inside. They wouldn't even come in the other night during a storm because the stalls were still wet. Their stalls wouldn't be nearly as wet if they didn't pee soon as they walk in.

I've put rubber matting down for the old mare - which she doesn't like. But it is the only way to keep her stall even partially dry.

I have put in an official complaint to Mother Nature about the rain. It is supposed to go to New Mexico - they haven't had any rain in nearly 230 days!

Somehow - I don't think my complaint will help.

HAPPY CLIMATE CHANGE EVERYONE!

Hermit Kitty

Yes – it's true! Ms Kitty has gone hermit.


With my only connection to the interwebs a dialup connection (gasp!) I've holed up in the wilderness.

This drastic measure – yes, it's drastic YOU try to survive on a dialup connection – is solely to see if I can get some work done. I've been ADHD for so long that I'd given up hope of ever finishing ANYTHING.


However, I'm relieved to announce progress! I have finished and published "Impressive Bravado" a short mystery/satire about horses and the horse show industry. I did a DWS with it – finished it and threw it at Smashwords as a freebie.


Once I get some feedback on it, I might edit it a bit more. However, I doubt it. If I spend any more time on it, I'm going to have to charge for it.


Why did I do that? Two reasons both equally important at this point.


Advertising my skill as a story-teller. Unless people know that I can write, they will never buy my work. Somewhere along the line I've got to prove myself.


Ego (or self-esteem if you believe in Indigo children and other mythological creatures) as it's been more than 2 months since I've sold a single copy of "Let's Do Lunch" – I'm a hurting kitty.


"Impressive Bravado" is a short story in the Ms Kitty style of humor and satire that takes a poke at horse people in general and best of all – 'Horse Whisperers' in particular. It's already been 'bought' by 30 people since midnight last night.


I suppose the shit will hit the fan as soon as someone who knows horses reads it. I hope so – I need some free publicity.

Immigration Reform

As this country hollows out in the middle - as the boarders are slowly closing to drug traffic - it is time to address the issue of the underground economy.

I am the grandchild of immigrants - Ireland, Scotland, Hungary and Germany. There are several school of thought on this hot-button issue. I'm directly in the middle - where I seem to end up most of the time.

The Reactionary Right screams about 'Anchor Babies' and stolen jobs on one hand - while using immigrant housekeepers, nannies, gardeners, pool boys and caretakers. I've gotten used to this kind of blatant hypocrisy from the so-called 'upper class' even if it still turns my stomach.

I know people from all over the world. They have come because they WANT to be Americans. So did my grandparents - they LOVED this country. I don't see what the big deal is.

The birth rate has slowed down - here and in many countries around the world. People with access to birth control use it - because the middle class wants children but can't afford to raise them. People scream about 'generations' on welfare - yet perpetrate what amounts to a class system.

There is no justice in this - there is only insanity and chaos. Too many of the 'backroom' policies are counterproductive for long term stability - tax cuts for the rich, medicare cuts for the poor. Subsidies for corporations - benefit cuts for the unemployed and impoverished. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer - the middle class vanishes - who is America without a middle class?

I think we will be just another 'Third World' country unless the 'upper class' gets it's collective head out of it's ass and starts thinking LONG term. 

Bringing people stuck in the underground labor pool into the mainstream is a great idea. They will pay their taxes - and support the programs that help the poor become middle class. They bring new blood, new culture, new ideas and eager hands to this country in a time of stagnation.

Face it - we aren't talking about a few hundred thousand South Americans. We are talking about millions of Canadian, Irish, Hindu, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, British, Middle Eastern, European AND Latino immigrants. Doctors, Engineers, Software Developers and other skilled trades would be included with those who have a more limited education.

Put the engineers to work creating new technology to free us from the tyranny of fossil fuels. Fill the hollow middle with small farms and fresh faces. (Or give it back to the Native Americans who it rightfully belongs to...now there's a can of worms!)

This isn't a bi-coastal nation - there is a huge heartland crying for people to come and live. Immigrants have always come to fill the empty places in the economy - and give it a shot in the arm in the process.

Time to Eat My Words - The Lion is King

I have been royally ticked off at the present administration. I felt they had dropped the ball on the Kill Medicare bill. The budget debate, the ridiculous birther issues, the compromising with the Tea Party made me crazy - so I called our leader and chief a cowardly lion.

Then I saw the Correspondent's Dinner - heard the opening and realized that timing is a priceless quality that can't be faked. The opening display of his birth certificate - the humor, the priceless darts at those who had mocked him. His timing and delivery was as good as anything Jon Stewart EVER did.

I take all my barbs about 'cowardly lions' back on the basis of that performance alone. This is before Sunday night - before the President announced the demise of Bin Laden. Which makes all the joking at the Correspondent's Dinner vastly funnier - pointed and priceless, a 'Coup de grâce' to all the mockery this administration has endured.

I have to admit I never thought we would get Bin Laden. Now that he is no more - I look at the people who are trying to take credit for Obama's Victory and I get worked up all over again. Until I think about it - most of the people doing all the crowing have one little problem...they can't leave the country. If they do, and I think there are a dozen of them, they may find themselves up on charges for War Crimes.

Yes, the former administration's finest players are working hard to justify what they did in the court of public opinion - because International Law is waiting to pounce on them.

Justice comes in a lot of different forms. Some are more satisfying than others.

The Sun Has Returned!

I was starting to think we'd never see the sun again. Everything is soggy as noodles in week old soup. The pasture is more green and lush than ever - so I'm not going to complain too much. All the seed and manure spread over the winter paid off again.

The news from Chicken World is good - I've got eggs in the incubator, a hen on eggs and a duck on eggs. Soon there will be even more baby critters running around.

The first batch of chicks have turned into mini-chickens. I've tagged the ones most likely to be roosters for sale at the farmer's market. They are aggressive little tykes and take a great deal of pleasure beating on the hobbit chickens.

This is where it gets interesting - I have to separate the young roosters before they get on Mickey's nerves. He will kill them while they are small if there are too many running around. Sony would get them into the duck pond and drown them. (Sorry, but nature is not always pretty.)

I should get some picture posted of the flower beds. They are a weedy mess at the moment, but I'm working on them. The chickens are getting the debris, the horses are donating compost and I'm mulching the heck out of it in hope I can keep the weeds down.

The summer season has kicked off with the hanging of the wind-chimes. That sound will get me out of bed and onto the porch in the morning. With the lawn mowed and trimmed and a few flowers blooming - I can drink coffee in utter bliss.

Quick and Dirty Complaint

My return to Authonomy was a gesture of good faith. It appeared that the trolls and sock puppets had been taken care of. I brought my re-drafted novel and started up the charts in the old fashioned way. I was enjoying myself.

I was mistaken. There have been several attempts to have serious conversations about writing - but the trolls (who now have cutesy troll avis) ruin it by posting foul things like bad kids wanting Mom's attention.

Authonomy Sucks for Talking About Writing is the perfect example. Steve got 1 post - the trolls took over.

This is after the post where Team Authonomy laid down the law.

I have always thought that Authonomy was the perfect place to launch 'Swallow the Moon' because of the world-wide exposure. Right up until the last troll invasion it was working like a charm.

I've changed my mind.

Chicken World News

After last year's devastating losses the flock at Jordan's Croft at last has some good news. There are 22 new chicks from the incubator and 6 Buff Brahamas. Brahamas are known for their feathered feet and round bodies. I think of them as hobbit chickens.

 This is a nice Buff Brahama hen. Below is the rooster of the same breed. Pretty aren't they?

I was looking for a pretty chicken to paint.

I'd like to start painting again – so I wanted a pretty bird that wasn't zebra striped.

Another 24 eggs are due to hatch in 15 days. Since the last hatch was successful – it is likely this one will be as well. Only there'll be some cross-bred chicks – Rhode Island Red hens crossed with Mickey Finn – a cross-bred himself.

As soon as those eggs hatch I'm going to refill the incubator again. I haven't gone chicken crazy – I'm going to sell the youngsters at the farmer's market, keeping the largest hens for myself – and the prettiest for painting. Believe it or not – there is a huge market for chickens. People are looking for pretty hens for the back yard. I'm going to enjoy raising a slew of chicks.

These chicks are very tame; they come to me, perch on my hands and nip my fingers. I'm handling them daily, to keep them friendly. The balance of the chick-flock has already been transferred to Chicken World. They run and scratch inside all day and night. During the day they venture outside a bit – but the mud isn't any fun to scratch in. They like the thick bedding inside.

Things I wonder about –

I know very little about chicken genetics. I wanted to stick to one breed – but the Dominique breed didn't do very well here. The hens laid a nice amount of eggs – but didn't go broody until Smudge was 3 years old. The Barred Rocks I bought as Dominiques thrived – until the varmint killed them. The remnant of the flock could be called Dominiker as they are crossed between the Rocks and the Dominiques. These are what I'm going to stay with – at least until I get a better idea.

Mickey Finn is a Dominiker – a cross bred – the last two hens are also cross-bred. There is something called 'hybrid vigor' that occurs during cross-breeding. The offspring are more vigorous than either purebred parent. That's why there are so many cross-bred chickens – so what do you get when you cross two cross-bred chicken parents?

I'm going to try to get some more pictures and maybe some video of the chicks.

News from Chicken World

The Flock

Kiddy Pool Brooder

Chicken World Brooder

Today is another 'house and farm' day, not a writing day. However, I've pecked at this post until I got it done.

I'm moving a number of young chickens out of the kiddy pool/surround in the tack room to Chicken World – the coop inside the barn and outside pen complex. The little fools are flying out of their protected space. Once they hit the floor, they are fair game to the dogs and the varmints. I'm moving the flyer's in with the adults.
Crowded chicks, mixed ages even more so, will turn cannibal. The set up that works for 25 itty-bitty babies is WAY too small for them once they get a full set of feathers.

I have 4 week-old chicks with week-old chicks, the big ones need larger quarters, still sheltered but much larger. The little ones need more heat and better protection.

The problem is getting the adult flock to live in peace with the youngsters (without a mother hen to defend them). A mother hen is the Queen of the flock. She will beat the hell out of any creature who threatens her babies. My Barred Rocks are sweet tempered, but there are only 2 hens and the rooster. The others are 3 Comets and a Rhode Island Red – the Red hen is aggressive towards the chicks.

The rooster is the defender of his harem. This year I have Mickey Finn – son of Sony (killed by a fox), son of Sampson (who died of old age). Mickey is a cross between a Barred Rock and a Dominique. He's very good to the girls – most importantly this year – he's very fertile.

Since the turnover in the flock is so fast (I lost over 200 chickens last year) I band the chickens. I found it very frustrating to deal with 20 identical birds; I need a way to tell them apart. Therefore, the girls have blue bands and the roosters get a red band. Individuals have personalities although it can take 6 months or more for those to develop. The numbers help me get clued into behavior.

Smudge, band #2, was the mother hen. She was four last year. She would set some eggs in June and hatch a few chicks. If the duck hatched some, or if I bought a batch, Smudge would take them in as well. At one point last year she had 19 chicks. But she was killed when my own dogs got loose and all but three of that hatch were gone. Those birds are Micky, hens 22 and 23.

Seven was goofy – she would fly up to the loft then jump through the rafters to the other side of the barn for no apparent reason. She made a production out of it – squawking and flapping between jumps, never flying until she got to the tack room loft. Then she would fly down – a mere 3 feet difference between the rafters and the loft roof. Last year she went broody, taking over as the mother hen. She raised 16 babies until she was killed by a fox – that hatch was lost as well.

This year 22 seems to be the largest and darkest feathered of the hens. This means she has some Dominiker blood as those hens are much darker than Rocks. When I looked at the hatched babies – six are very dark, almost black. These are 22's babies, carrying the best of the Dominiker blood lines.

I had another rooster I called Rocky – he seemed to be Rhode Island Red and Dominiker. He was aggressive towards the drakes – who outweighed him by at least 5 pounds. Alas, the weasel got him this January. From the mess I saw – Rocky attacked the weasel first – it ripped his throat out. Then it killed the 2 hens he was defending. They were all in a heap, Rocky on the bottom.

This winter was rough – but with Spring comes the promise of renewal. Hatching chicks descended from my flock is a lot of fun. I hope to see this batch live their lives out in relative peace.

Spring Chickens

Last year was an awful year to be a chicken at Jordan's Croft. The losses were staggering – 200 eggs, 30 expensive purchased chicks, a dozen hatchlings, 20 adults and pullets.


The worst was this winter, when every night some kind of animal got into the coop and killed at least one of the flock. I lost the secondary rooster and all but 2 hens. I was attached to my flock; I raised them over the last 3 years. I bought a trap. I caught two cats, a dog and a rooster.


With some help from friends, we secured the coop, stopped the killing – after 2 weeks I figured it was safe to buy a couple more hens.


I've been collecting eggs since the first week of March. They started hatching a week ago. I picked up 9 chicks at the feed store. Now I have 20 chicks and a small clutch of eggs. The problem with hatching is at least half of the hatchlings will be roosters. So you need to hatch twice as many eggs as you want hens.

The difference this year, as I no longer have hens to raise the chicks, is that I set up a secondary brooder in a kiddy pool. This area is twice as large as the 55 gallon water trough I usually use.

Additionally, I bought a very large brooding box. It will be heated with a 100 watt bulb and put in chicken world. The youngsters will be able to run in and out of chicken world, yet have a warm place to go back to when they get chilled. The investment has been large, in order to get over the losses.


Maybe this will be a better year.

Trade to Indie – Indie to Trade

The publishing industry has just gotten twice as interesting.

New York Times Best Seller Barry Eilser turned down a $500k deal with one publishing company to Indie publish his work.

MEANWHILE:

Indie publisher Amanda Hocking accepts a $2mil deal with trade publishing company.

Clarification – Amanda's link goes to her blog, while Barry's goes to Dean Wesley Smith's blog. The reason for this is a long, rambling, (possibly drunken) blog-post that has a number of links out, one of which is pretty damn offensive.*

Romance author jumps ship.

Now this – Connie Brockway, seasoned and often published romance author has also decided to e-publish books her trade publishing company has rejected. Here is her reasoning, quoted from All About Romance:

"Oh, there's reasons a-plenty. First off, the contract I was offered was not good either monetarily and elsewise, the elsewise being in terms of eBooks. It doesn't take too much business acumen to look at recent eBook sales history and project that eBook readers aren't going to pony up the same amount for an eBook, that exists only as a virtual entity, as a paper book which costs substantially more to produce  (printing, shipping, warehousing, distribution, covers etc.) Or if they do, they aren't going to do it often. And if the publishers set the price too high, it's the authors that lose the most. I hate losing.

Of course, this was more than a business decision. Strictly as a writer, I'm squealing with joy at the notion of being completely free to write the stories I most want to read. And, I sincerely believe, that my readers most want to read."

She's not the first. If you really want to know who has jumped ship – Kindle Boards has an Indie Romance Author thread.

Note the last paragraph – "I'm squealing with joy at the notion of being completely free to write the stories I most want to read."

Well, I guess that she's kept her agent – and her options – open because she mentions Avon imprint, although she doesn't talk about her project with them.

These are signs the Great Publishing Divide between Trade and Indie market systems is being bridged, in both directions. Is this good news? Well, it depends on if you look at it as a reader or as a writer.

The Good News:

This is great news for readers. High quality stories from authors who know their job. They offer quality entertainment for – well, not cheap – but less than the price of a paperback book, available in the e-book format.

The Bad News:

Professional writers, who know the ins and outs of the business, are bringing their platforms – skill sets, contacts, readers and fans into the small pool of e-books.

This is going to blow the top off the cottage industry of e-pulp fiction. As more pros take the plunge, the quality of the books (and the higher prices) they bring to the table are going to force Indies to keep prices down.

The $.99 ghetto is just what I've been saying all along – e-pulp fiction and dime/dollar novels. Poor writing is going to sink those who can't keep it up. The book hoarding readers aren't going to review the books they never read. Word will never spread – unless the writing is top-notch.

Well – there you have it. A market update – pros and cons on both sides of the Great Publishing Divide.

Stay tuned. Heaven only knows what's going to happen next week.



*Unless you want to see a monkey sexually abuse a frog.

E-Book Pricing - Part IV

The writer-blogs continue to buzz like stirred-up bees over e-book pricing. Kindle Boards, Authonomy, Nook Boards, Newbies' Guide to Publishing, Business Rusch, and Write 2 Publish - everyone has taken on the topic in an effort to figure it out. I've posted about it several times.

The last time I posted about pricing was to cave in to the pressure to sell "Let's Do Lunch" for $.99 in the hope the drop would bring on sales. My goal was to get 100 copies of my novel onto e-readers in 2011. Instead, sales on Amazon came to a screeching halt.

That goals was reached this week when I had Smashwords put LDL into it's promotion catalog for free. Readers (or book collectors) downloaded 72 copies. Adding that to the 30 copies already sold - I'm over 100 copies in less than 3 months for the year.

Reaching a goal requires re-evaluation.

*** UPDATE ***
Taking all sorts of things into consideration - including the cost of advertising, covers and editing for the new book - I raised the price of 'Let's Do Lunch.'

Writing is a business - the cost of doing business is pretty high these days. Just printing a single copy costs $20 with ink and paper. Internet, where I spend the bulk of my time, is $60 a month. As every adult knows, that's the tip of the iceberg.

Now I'm back to work on the next book.

More posts on e-book pricing:

e-Book Pricing I

e-Book Pricing Part II

e-Book Pricing Part III

e-Book Pricing Part V (coming soon)

Read an e-Book Week

I've put "Let's Do Lunch" in the Smashwords promotion that ends today.

All I can say is Holy Sh!t. As of 3:30 pm there have been 50 books 'sold' to customers. These people are NOT sampling - they are taking the book!

I've broken the 100 copy barrier! YAHOO!!!!!!!!

Even if the majority of these people are collectors, not readers - this has been the biggest week of 'sales' yet!

About the 100 copy barrier - the common wisdom is that a self-published book will never sell more than 100 copies. However this is backed by Nielson Book scan claiming the 'average' trade published book only sells 18 copies.

So with 115 or so books sold - I've broken that barrier and I'm SO happy about it. The day isn't over yet, I think the sale runs until midnight EDT.

Get your copy of "Let's Do Lunch" while it is still free.

Another Cover for 'Lets Do Lunch'

This is a cute little cover that Bradley Wind did for LDL that I have never used.

I thought I should post this and see what people think.

I think my name is too small, but I like the rest of it.

 I think it captures the theme of the book very well.

A Vastly Amusing Look Back at April 2009

It seems like a million years ago that Mary W. Walters wrote her "Talent Killers" post for The Militant Writer. Two years and 420 comments later - she's still getting hits and comments. I know because I get the RSS feed.

I'm absolutely positive that she didn't realize that we were on the cusp of the e-book revolution. Naturally she (and thousands of writers like her) were frustrated, in stead of a clear path to the Big Six of publishing - there was a locked gate. No one had a clue at the time but the publishing industry 'gate-keeping' system was about to be blown out of the water.

Ta! Da! 

Look where we are today. Times have changed to the point where a well-known mid-list writer with a sweet deal on the table will look at 25% of e-book sales as a deal breaker. Instead of leaping on the deal, the writer said to his agent 'Are you kidding? I can publish this myself and do better.'

Exit writer, door closed.

Publisher is out 75% of potential sales and agent out 20% of writer's cut in commission.

There are still authors who will go to any lengths to get rejected by an agent. There are still agents who will MAKE writers jump through hoops and go to all kinds of contortions to get rejected. Occasionally there will be hook-ups, contracts and even sales.

However, most of the writers I know have decided they are better off with DIY publishing.

I don't know if the rise of e-pulp fiction has impacted the bottom line of agents or publishers. I don't know if the slush pile has been affected - there may be no difference. I'm not even sure that it matters in the long run - except to the writers who have turned rejection into cash.

Readers seem to be happy - they have access to cheap books in hard times. E-readers are a great investment. I love mine.

I'm reading more than ever, cheap books, free books - first run books that I could never afford in hard-cover. Books by friends in the UK and Australia that I never would have seen otherwise.

The fact that I got a couple of bucks from both Amazon and Barnes & Noble didn't hurt either.

PS - this is a link to the Smashwords blog. Mark is all fired up about the 'Publishing Revolution.' I think you will enjoy it.

A Word About Sales and Other Stuff

Okay, I admit, more than one word.

Let's start with the good news - we've had the first Amazon UK sale of "Let's Do Lunch" in February. Smashwords sampling is over 80 - I expect it to be more than 100 by the end of the quarter. Total sales for January = 16, February = 14.

Barnes and Noble is my best market. I sell twice as many books there. Okay, so that means merely 8 or 9 sales per month. That triples my sales per month. The bottom line is that we've sold more copies of LDL in two months than in 6 months of 2010.

Ya, can't beat that with a stick - but who'd want to?

I replaced the Amazon cover of "Let's Do Lunch" to my 'way-back-when' cover. It's been 13 days since my last sale, it seems a change is in order.

Alas, I don't see myself putting - ahem - beefcake* on the cover. That's not the point of the story.(I am assured that covers including nude male torso shots sell vastly more copies than scenery covers. See the note at the bottom for the 'industry' term for such covers.)

I'm working on the cover I want - a photo of the building. Cropping the photo proved to be a challenge - the work-around frustrated me so, I had to set it aside for a few days.


Changes in the industry

Another mid-list writer has taken his work off the market - take a look at this post on Publisher's Weekly. The post in a nutshell: Mid-list writer had deal on the table, he asked about e-rights and was told the split would be 75% to 25% of net. He then asked if he was getting the 75% - however the answer was 'no.' He declined the offer, deciding to self-publish instead of taking a bad deal on his e-rights.

Why is this important? E-books don't 'go out of print' therefore he had signed away his e-rights FOREVER. While a single e-book title grossing $1,000 a month would be a pittance for the publishing company. For the writer this would be a substantial slice of month income.

I don't know of many people who would sneeze at an extra grand a month. Do you?


If you haven't discovered the Business Rusch by Kristine Katherine Rusch at least take a look at this one. At the risk of sounding hopelessly sexist - she has a woman's eye for navigating the turbulent waters of this changing industry. She doesn't browbeat the reader, she presents information and opinions in a common sense fashion while keeping her options open. (I say that's female because it seems much more sensible to keep your options open, instead of burning bridges. Burning bridges is a guy thing - like bungee-jumping.)

Or maybe it's the fact that I agree with her - Big Publishing is hardly dead. They are in a position to talk terms with the e-vendors and take advantage of e-books - with access to one hell of a back-list. After all, 1 book selling 500 copies a month times 100,000 (or more) books is NOT a pittance.

Last but not least

* I find the term 'man-tittie' offensive. Puleeezz ladies - some class!